The rhythm shows up in her ceramics (and illustrations), which are entirely hand-built, no molds or models — just intuition. 

When artist and ceramicist Nina Waring picks up clay, she’s not just building a vessel — she's exploring the contrasts we all carry: birth and death, strength and fragility, the bold and the breakable.

We sit down for a coffee and she explains that while living and working out of Wollongong, she finds inspiration in the hum of the city but needs the coast to process it all. “It’s a cycle — get inspired, retreat, reset, repeat,” she says. That rhythm shows up in her ceramics, which are entirely hand-built, no molds or models — just intuition. It’s a painstaking process of building, hollowing, firing, glazing, and firing again. “A pain in the arse, honestly,” she laughs, “but worth it every time.”

When the opportunity came to design this Art Bag, Nina jumped at it.

“It makes art so accessible and sneaks it into people’s every day”.

As a local to Franks ‘n Beans, she knows first-hand. With the origins in the blend rotated seasonally, she reckons it makes sense for outside of the bag to reflect the continuously changing nature of what’s inside.

Her style? “Confronting but delicate. Fragile but strong.” Just like her ceramics: built to hold heavy ideas, but always with the risk of breaking — which is exactly the point. Lately, Nina has been weaving native New South Wales flora into her work, alongside the skulls and flowers that have long been part of her visual language. This work was inspired by Single O’s newest frontier, diving into coffee grounds upcycling with Reground.

So, flip this bag over. If it sparks curiosity or makes you pause for even half a second, Nina reckons that’s her job done. We reckon it’s a job done very well. 

Cheers Nina

Nina Waring via Franks 'n Beans, Corrimal.
Coffee Order: Batch Brew
@nina.h.waring